Jenn Ward, of Scotsburn in Pictou County, said lack of gas is a big concern for those trying to leave town. She and her boyfriend are sheltering in a commercial trailer north of Fort McMurray, near the Suncor site.

"There's extremely thick smoke. No one is going outside," she said.

'We need leadership here'

The couple was headed for Edmonton but the wildfire jumped the highway, forcing them to go north. They only have about a half-tank of gas.

"It's not enough to really get anywhere. But there's no place to get the gas, other places are running out of gas," said Ward, who's been in living in Fort McMurray for the past 18 months.

By Tuesday night, the manager of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry said there was no gas left in Fort McMurray.

"It's being drained as we go south," said Schmitte.

Emergency officials say people have been travelling too close to the wildfire front in Fort McMurray. (Marshall Whitsed )

Ward is also concerned about the lack of information and guidance coming from the municipality.

"It's been really terribly chaotic," Ward said. "We need leadership here. No one is stepping up and saying what needs to be done. There's not a lot of information right now."

'Feels surreal'

Verna Murphy, who lived with her family in the Dickensfield neighbourhood of Fort McMurray, said she called her husband once the fires breached the Athabaskan River on the city's border.

A mandatory evacuation order was in place by the time they got home from work. Their kids were still at school, so her husband went to pick up the youngest and she went to pick up the 16 year old.

Murphy has been involved in preparing for the emergency and keeping others keep up to date. Emergency bags were packed by Sunday night, at the suggestion of the city.

"It totally feels surreal," Murphy said.

The weather conditions are a "perfect storm" in the area — dry and hot after a mild winter, with northerly winds blowing.